Petroleum-car



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet l.

W. H. HILL 8: G. W. BENDER. PETROLEUM GAR.

No. 427,867. Patented W/TNESSES. /NVENT$ may 4,5! $3M BY ymgmdww vlib/M14 l ATTORNEYS (NbMod1.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

W. H; HILL & CLW. BENDER.

PETROLEUM GAR. No. 427,867. Patented May 13, 1890.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE;

\VILLIAM HENRY HILL AND CHARLES XV. BENDER, OF UTIOA, NE\V YORK.

PETROLEUM-CAR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 27,867, dated May 13,1890.

Application filed February 13, 1890. Serial No. 340,331. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Beitknown that we, \VILIJIAM HENRY HILL and CHARLES XV. BENDER, ofUtica, in the county of Oneida and State of New York, have invented anewand useful Improvement in Petroleum-Cars, of which the following is afull, clear, and exact description.

Our invention relates to an improvement in petroleum-cars, and has forits object to provide a series of connect-ed metal tanks so braced thattheir walls will not bulge even when heavily loaded and subjected to thevibrations of travel; and a further object of the invention is to soconstruct the tanks that the bulk of their weight will be over thetrucks of the carbody, the tanks being capable of rigid and firmattachment to either a Hat or a gen dola car.

The invention consists in the novel construction and combination of theseveral parts, as will be hereinafter fully set forth, and pointed outin the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part ofthis specification, in which similar letters and figures of referenceindicate corresponding parts in all the vlews.

Figurel is a partial vertical longitudinalsection through a series oftanks represented as mounted upon a car-body, the section being taken onthe line 1 1 of Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the improved car. Fig.3 is a section taken on line 3 3 of Fig. 2 and end view of one of theend tanks. Fig. i is a transverse section through an end tank and thecar-body, the said section being taken on the line i 4 of Fig. 2. Fig. 5is a transverse section through the car-body taken on line 5 5 of Fig.2, showing an end view of the intermediate tank; and Fig. 6 is atransverse section on line 6 6 of Fig. 2, illustrating the saidintermediate tank in central vertical section.

The tanks A are ordinarily arranged in sets of three, the outer tanksbeing the largest and adapted to be attached to the bed 10 of thecar-body over the trucks thereof. Each tank is constructed of metal,sheet metal being preferably employed, and the said tanks arerectangular in cross-section, having perpendicular sides and ends and aflat top and bottom, as shown in Figs t and 6. By reason of thispeculiar shape a maximum capacity is obtained for each tank, and thesaid tanks are enabled to be supported throughout their length andbreadth by the bottom of each bein g brought in perfect contact with thetop of the car-bed.

In order to prevent the sides of the tanks from bulging outward whenfilled or partially so and subjected to the vibrations of travel, eachtank at each side is provided, preferably, with two stay-rods 11, theupper ends of which rods are carried through the sides of the tanks, oneat each side of the center and about midway between top and bottom, theupper outer ends of the rods being ordinarily secured in place bysuitable lock-nuts 12, and the lower ends of the rods are secured to thebottoms of the tanks within the same, as best illustrated in Figs. 4 and6.

The rods of each tank are preferably arranged 'so that the rods upon oneside will be in horizontal alignment with the rods upon the oppositeside, and the lower ends of opposite rods are preferably made to closelyapproach each other, being attached to the bottom, one at each side of acentral line. Thus the said rods are given a downward inclination andeffectually hold the sides of the tanks in a true perpendicularposition. The ends of the tanks are also braced, but the braces arelocated upon the outer faces.

Each tank at each end is preferably provided with two exterior brace orstay rods 13, their upper ends being bolted or otherwise firmly securedto the tanks. The ordinary mode of attachment consists in securing toeach end wall of each tank near the side surface a re-enforcing metalplate l t, the upper ends of the stay or brace rods 13 being bolted tosaid rc-enforcing plates as well as to the tank. The lower ends of thebrace or stay rods 13 are carried horizontally in the direction of theopposed end surface of the next tank, and the said horizontal section 15of each brace or stay rod is attached by belts or otherwise to aconnectingplate 16, one of said plates being employed to connect one endsurface of the intermediate tank with one of the end tanks. Theconnecting-plates are firmly bolted to the bottoms of the tanks andvirtually form a portion thereof. The said connecting-plates are locatedat or near the sides of the tanks, the outer edges of the plates be- ICOing preferably made to extend slightly beyond the outer sides of thetanks. Similar connecting-plates 17 are attached to the bot tom of eachend tank at-their outer end faces, and brace or stay rods 13 arelikewise provided for the said end surfaces. The intermediateconnectingplates 16 are each provided at each side of the center withoppo sitely-facing angle-sockets or corner-irons 18, the said sockets orcorner-irons being so spaced as to receive the inner corners of the endtanks and the four corners of the inter mediate tank, and the endconnecting-plates 17 are each provided with a single socketorcorner-iron 18, adapted to receive the outer end corners of the outertanks. Thus the tanks are firmly held in position and effect uallysustained against lateral movement, and, through the medium of the braceor stay rods 13, against vertical movement. The conneeting-platcs 16 and17 are adapted to fit in recesses formed in the bed of the carbody, inorder that the bottom of the tanks throughout their length and width mayhave an even bearing against the upper face of the said bed.

In addition. to the outer connecting-plates 16 and 17, two innerconnecting-plates 1.), parallcl therewith, yet spaced therefrom, areprovided at each end of the tanks. The intermediate of the second set ofconnecting-plates are secured to both the end and intermediate tanks attheir bottoms, the end set of connecting-plates being connected with thecarbcd and end tanks only, and the said car-bed is recessed to receivethese second or inner sets of connecting-plates in like manner with theouter sets of connecting-plates 16 and 17. Upon the intermediateconnecting-plates of the second or inner set a lug or spur 20 is formedabout midway between the sides at each side of the center, which lugs orspurs have one perpendicular end surface adapted for contact with theends of the tanks. The outer connectingdates of this second or inner set19 are provided with one lug or spur only, which engages with the outerend surfaces of the end tanks. Both sets of connecting-plates aresecured to the ear-bed in any suitable or approved manner.

Angle or L-shaped plates or bars 21 are employed to tie the ends of thetanks and the second or inner set of connecting-plates 19 together.These angle or L-shaped plates or bars 21 act in the capacity ofadditional braces and are arranged in pairs, one being located at eachside of each spur 20, formed upon the said inner connecting-plates. Thevertical members of the auxiliary brace or stay rods or bars 21 arerigidly secured, preferably by means of bolts, to the ends of the tanks,and a re-enforcing plate 22 is made to intervene each set and the tank,the horizontal members of the auxiliary brace bars or rods being bolted,one at each side of the spurs 20, to the inner connecting-plates 19.

The end tanks are connected to the intermediate tank at or near thebottom, either above or below the embed, but preferably above the same,through the medium of horizontally-arranged tubes 23, which tubes may becylindrical, oval, rectangular, or of any shape.

Each tank at the top is provided with one or more air-vents 25, and eachend tank, preferably centrally of the top, is provided with an opening26, the walls of which are surrounded with a metal re-enforeing plate orwasher 27, and a lid or cover 28 is bolted to the washer and the top ofthe tank, which lids or covers entirely close the openings 26 of thesaid end tanks, and may be removed when desiredas, for instance, tohurriedly fill the end tanksalthough the said end tanks may be bothfilled and emptied from the central tank, as will be hercii'iafterexplained. The central tank is also provided with a top opening 26 and asurroundingmetal washer 27; but instead of a flat cap or cover 28 beingemployed to close said opening a hood 29 is constructed around it havinga floor or bottom 30 and a hinged top 31. In the bottom of the hood orhousing 29 a tube 32 is placed, ordinarily covered by a suit-able cap orplug 33, as is best shown in Fig. (l. The purpose of this tube 32 is toadmit of the application of a pump to the central tank, whereby theliquid contained therein may be discharged therefrom, and likewise fromthe end tanks through the central tank, or the said tanks be filled inlike manner. This is readily accomplished, as each of the tanks isconnected in the series and is provided with air-vents. Thus the liquidwill at all times find its level, the liquid tilled into the centraltank passing to the end tanks and the liquid drawn from the central tankbeing replaced by the flow of liquid from the end tanks.

3y reason of the construction-abovc described it is obvious that theweight of the tanks is so distrilmted that the heaviest portion of saidtanks will rest upon the strongest and best supported portion of thecar-body.

In order that the petroleum or other liquid contained in the tanks maybe drawn si1nultaneously from the central and end tanks, each end tankat its rear or outer end surface is provided with a suitable capped tube34;

for connection with the interior; and to prevent any damage bcing doneto these end tubes or the cap being dislocated a housing or guard-plate35 is made to surround each tube, the said guard-plate being bolted orotherwise secured to the tanks and to the bed of the ear-body, if sodesired.

Ve desire it to be distinctly understood that whiledetails ofconstruction have been shown and described equivalent construction maybe employed without departing from the spiritof the invention.

Having thus described our invention, we claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent-- 1. The combination, with the bed of a car-ICO ITO

body and a petroleum-tank constructed of metal and provided withstraight sides and ends and interior inclined side braces, of twoparallel connecting-plates secured near each corner to the bottom of thetank and to the bed of the car-body, the outer connectingplates beingprovided with sockets to receive the corners of the tanks and the innerconnecting-plates having spurs adapted to engage the end surfaces of thetank, brace-rods attached to the tank and to the outer end of the outerconnecting plates, and angular brace-bars arranged in pairs and securedto the ends of the tank and the outer ends of the innerconnecting-plates, one at each side of the spur thereon, substantiallyas shown and described.

WVitnesses:

CHARLES G. IRISH, EDWARD L. HILL.

